Couple accused of enslaving girl for work, sex

OCEANSIDE — Authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of an Oceanside couple accused of enslaving a girl, beating her and forcing her to perform sex acts with the husband and other men.

Inez Martinez Garcia, 43, and her husband, Marcial Garcia Hernandez, 45, were taken into custody at their residence by members of the North County Human Trafficking Task Force, said sheriff’s deputy George Crysler, the case investigator.

They were booked into jail on 13 felony counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under age 14, Crysler said.

The arrest culminated a 2 1/2 year human trafficking investigation that at one point was considered a cold case because the victim was in Mexico, Crysler said.

The investigation began when the victim, who is now an adult, came forward with allegations of forced labor and physical and sexual abuse by the Garcias, Crysler said.

The girl was smuggled into the United States at age 12 with promises of a better life and education. Once at the Garcias’ home, she was forced to care for their three young children and cook and clean “under the constant threat of physical abuse,” Crysler said.

Over a 21-month period, the victim was forced to have sex with the husband. When she refused to take part in sex acts or did not complete her tasks “in a timely or correct manner,” she was beaten, Crysler said.

At one point, she was forced to lie about her age when the couple found work for her at a local restaurant. When she received her wages, Inez Garcia would keep the money, Crysler said.

The couple later forced the girl to have sex with other older men “for monetary purposes,” he said.

At one point when the girl was severely beaten, authorities were notified. She was placed in protective custody and then reunited with family in Mexico.

The case was suspended when she was unavailable in Mexico and reopened when she returned to the United States.

Participating in the arrest on Thursday were task force members from the sheriff’s Vista community policing unit, federal Homeland Security Investigations, and Oceanside police.